A couple weeks ago we went to the Tri-County Bicycle Association's club meeting. It was a great meeting. The guest speaker was Hector Hernandez who operates First Class Dog Training, a company that trains police dogs. He has a wealth of experience with dogs and a great understanding of when and how the attack. Hector also trains mail carriers in this area on how to deal with dog and how to avoid bits. In just one group of mail carries there were no bits this year where there were 14 bites the previous year.
He is in the process of writing a book called "Preparing Yourself for Dog Encounters" with a chapter devoted specifically for cyclists. Well worth getting when it comes out.
Here are a few tips he gave:
Know how to read a dog's body language to tell if it's playing or attacking
If an attack is eminent:
Don't try and outrun a dog (unless it's small)
Dismount and keep the bike between you and the dog
Swing your bike at the dog, but don't let go of it
If a dog really wants to attack, mace/pepper spray will only make him mad
Don't hit the dog in the head - it will only make him mad
Knee the dog in the chest or hit him on the neck near the shoulders.
Distract the dog by waving something - helmet, shirt, etc.
Fall to the ground in a fetal position, protecting vital organs. The dog will not attack as hard and will stop if you stay still.
These are just a few things. You need to get the book for a full picture.